The sheet fell off Trei’s bare chest as he sat up and swiped a scone. “Let the servants talk. It’s better for us if everyone in the castle is gossiping about our supposed passionate night of lovemaking than speculating it might never have happened.”
Warmth bloomed on Bryn’s cheeks when she remembered the night before. The marriage hadn’t been consummated,which was a relief, but she could feel the shadow of Trei’s kisses all over her lips. All they’d accomplished was pushing the deed off for a few days.
She glanced at Trei and felt a flush of guilt. She stuffed a scone into her mouth to bury the emotions.
Someone knocked on the door, but before Trei could ask who it was, Mage Marna swept in.
Bryn nearly choked on her scone to see the white-haired woman looking over them with a searching gaze.
“You’ve slept in,” Mage Marna observed dryly.
Trei gave a casual shrug, not meeting his aunt’s eyes. “Hardly surprising for newlyweds, is it?”
The mage narrowed her eyes. Her gaze closely inspected the tangled sheets, Trei’s shirt tossed on the floor, Bryn’s bruised lips—but then she let out a scathing scoff.
“You didn’t consummate the marriage.”
Trei slid a wary look to Bryn and muttered, “I told you she’d be able to tell.”
Mage Marna tipped her head up toward the ceiling in exasperation. “You know tradition’s requirements, Trei. As do you, Bryn—”
“Calm down, Aunt.” Trei scrubbed a hand over his face. Bryn had rarely heard anyone speak to Mage Marna without fear in their voice, and she was surprised at Trei’s tone. “We both understand what’s expected of us. But you must realize you gave us two days to come to terms with turning our lives upside down. There is . . . collateral damage to consider.”
“Duty comes before love,” the mage said evenly. “Saraj and Rangar know that as well as everyone else.”
“We’ll consummate the marriage before the Wedding Tour,” Trei assured her, then glanced at Bryn. “Just give us a few days to get used to one another.”
Mage Marna’s lips pinched. “The tradition is archaic, I will grant you both that, but we’re all bound by it. If I can see it in your auras, then so will others. I’m not the only one in the kingdom with the aura hex; there are others, especially in the outer villages you’ll visit on the Wedding Tour. If they discover the marriage isn’t valid, it threatens the stability of both kingdoms and our hopes to unite them.”
Trei said tightly, “We understand.”
Bryn felt a shiver of apprehension and sipped deeply on her tea to calm her nerves.
Mage Marna let out another long breath. “I didn’t come here to discussthat, in any case. Aleth and I were up all night discussing what’s to be done with Rangar.”
A tense silence fell over the room. Bryn pulled the sheets higher over her chest. She couldn’t help but glance at the ceiling, where somewhere overhead, Rangar had probably paced all night and was pacing still.
“Valenden was the one who sent a messenger to warn Rangar,” Mage Marna informed them. “He confessed when Aleth threatened to throw him in the tower with his brother.”
Trei glanced at Bryn, and Bryn felt overcome with the sense that Trei had already known this information, just as she had. They’d both kept it secret to protect Valenden.
“Valenden will be punished accordingly,” Mage Marna continued. “Interfering with state business is no small crime.” She sighed. “But Rangar’s punishment is our greater concern.”
“Rangar didn’t commit any crimes,” Bryn said quietly. “You lied to him, and he discovered the lie. That’s it.”
“He assaulted the future king,” the mage challenged.
Bryn glanced at the bruises on Trei’s temple and shoulder that had darkened overnight. She couldn’t very well defend Rangar when he had assaulted her husband, who was half-naked in bed with her.
“It was nothing,” Trei scoffed, waving off any concern. “He was angry. The soldiers stopped him before he got in another swing.”
“He threatened to kill you,” Mage Marna insisted.
“He’s threatened to kill me over far less,” Trei muttered. “On our fishing trip last summer, he said he’d slit my throat if I finished the last of the ale.”
Mage Marna went to the window, looking out over the stormy sea. The rain hadn’t lessened from the day before, casting everything in mottled shades of gray. “You’re defending him because you love him, but we all know he will be trouble. This time, it’s serious.”
Bryn felt a flutter of fear in her chest and piped up, “But he isn’t aprisoner. He’s your nephew! You can’t leave him locked in the tower forever.”
